Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant

Chapter 17

It hadn’t been deleted or lost.

To be precise, it had seeped into Suho’s left palm.

When he looked at his hand, he noticed that, just as Jang Pyeongho had said, a key-shaped mark symbolizing the owner of the Subspace House had been engraved there.

The key-shaped mark soon disappeared.

According to Jang Pyeongho, it would normally be invisible and would only appear when using the Subspace House.

Suho clenched his left hand and thought to himself.

‘Finally, I’ve got my own personal fortress.’

The reason Suho referred to the Subspace House as a fortress was that Jang Pyeongho had called it that.

Because Jang Pyeongho had literally used the Subspace House like a fortress.

Especially when he was engaged in “smuggling.”

‘From drugs to national treasures, even people… there was nothing he hadn’t dealt with.’

Indeed, with the Subspace House, any kind of smuggling would have been easy to carry out.

Unlike traditional subspace items, the Subspace House could even contain living beings.

Moreover, as long as one’s magic stat was high enough, it was possible to expand the space indefinitely.

That was why Jang Pyeongho had fully utilized his ability for smuggling, and as a result, he gained the infamous titles of “Smuggling King” or “Drug King.”

However, even someone like Jang Pyeongho couldn’t avoid being caught in the end.

Once inside the Subspace House, one was practically invincible, but the drawback was that they couldn’t come out anywhere else.

So, the Korean Hunter Association had set up a perimeter the moment they witnessed Jang Pyeongho entering the Subspace House, standing guard there 24/7.

‘That’s why it took them over three years to capture him.’

He was one persistent fellow.

He had set up the Subspace House with so many facilities that he managed to hold out for over three years by himself.

Having obtained the Subspace House, Suho returned to the outside of the house.

Then, without a moment’s hesitation, he headed to the next floor.

***

Meanwhile.

While Suho was climbing the Tower of Trials, a small stir was occurring in the Hunter industry.

– The top scorer of this year’s Hunter Exam is Hunter ‘Ahn Suho.’

– Who is Ahn Suho, the top scorer of the Hunter Exam?

The stir was nothing more than an annual issue.

After all, the top scorers of the annual Hunter Exam were always rising stars who captured everyone’s attention.

Thus, various domestic guilds were already beginning to prepare to recruit Suho.

Top scorers had the highest expectations of any rookie.

But at that moment, a new article was published out of the blue, shocking everyone.

– [Exclusive] Hunter Ahn Suho is actually a graduate of Nexus Academy…

– [Exclusive] Hunter Ahn Suho was, in fact, the sole conqueror of the Unpredicted Gate at Sindorim Station!

This was a strategically planned promotional article from Nexus Academy.

Upon hearing the news, the guilds regretfully withdrew from the recruitment race.

Since he was from Nexus Academy, it meant he was likely a promising talent raised by Nexus Guild, the industry’s third-ranking guild.

As a result, Hexagon and Prime, who heard the news later, were left feeling stung.

After all, they had thought that they were the only ones competing for the top spot in every Hunter Exam, but now an unexpected third player had pulled off a refreshing coup.

Kim Suae couldn’t hide her smile as she watched the academy’s phone lines light up with inquiries.

‘It was worth every penny of the three billion.’

Thanks to this, not only had the academy’s results been stellar, but she’d even received a personal call of praise from the Guildmaster and Vice Guildmaster.

After all, producing the top scorer of the Hunter Exam was the highest achievement an academy head could aspire to.

However, neither Kim Suae nor Nexus Guild was remotely satisfied with just this.

– Prime came first? What does that matter? No matter the cost, do whatever it takes to recruit him! We’ve got plenty of money too!

Like most, the Nexus Guildmaster was also a person of ambition.

As the head of an organization, he didn’t want to miss out on this rare opportunity.

Kim Suae felt the same way.

That was why she had quickly extended an offer to Suho to join the guild.

‘It failed that time, but this time… I’ll make sure…!’

This time, they even had an order from the Guildmaster.

Meaning they could offer him far more benefits than before.

Just then, it happened.

– [Exclusive] Top scorer of this year’s Hunter Exam, Hunter Ahn Suho: “My dream is to be a Civil Servant Hunter.”

A sudden exclusive report went live.

Looking at the source, it wasn’t something they had released.

The article had been published by PBS, Korea’s top player broadcasting network.

So it was even harder to believe.

For a top scorer of the Hunter Exam, the usual route was to join the private sector as a hunter with the highest pay of the year, yet suddenly he wanted to be a Civil Servant Hunter?

Was it just clickbait?

It couldn’t be.

PBS wasn’t the kind of tabloid that would play around with something like this.

But Suho had clearly shown a positive response to her offer, hadn’t he?

Surprised, Kim Suae began to read through the article, but even after reading it all, she still couldn’t understand Suho’s intent.

‘Why on earth?’

What had changed his mind in the meantime?

Had the government perhaps approached him with a secret deal they didn’t know about?

Biting her lip, Kim Suae dialed the Guildmaster.

Whatever the case, she had no intention of giving up on Suho.

***

[You have cleared the 29th floor.]

[You are moving to the 30th floor.]

How much time had passed since then?

By the time Suho had cleared ten more floors,

He finally succeeded in clearing the highest official record in the Tower of Trials.

As he cleared the 29th floor, a flood of system notifications celebrating his record achievement filled his vision.

[You have achieved the highest record in the Tower of Trials.]

[For achieving this impressive feat, the system rewards you with 5 bonus stat points.]

[If you challenge the 30th floor, your achievements will begin broadcasting outside the tower.]

[If you prefer, anonymity can be maintained.]

[Would you like to reveal your player name?]

Five bonus stat points.

This reward would be granted every time he broke a new record.

So he felt a slight pang of regret.

If the record floor had been a bit lower, he could have secured even more bonus stats.

After pondering for a moment, Suho shook his head at the system’s question.

Considering his fame, revealing it now wouldn’t be a bad idea, but he thought he could reveal it after conquering the next floor without any rush.

‘Cho Jin-hwi, you must be watching this.’

He had put on a brave front in front of me, but his curiosity as a reporter likely couldn’t be contained.

By now, he was either at Pangyo himself or watching attentively through a personal broadcast platform.

Suho hoped Cho Jin-hwi would stay on edge for as long as possible.

Opting for anonymity, Suho stepped into the portal once more.

***

[The 29th floor has been conquered.]

[A new challenger is attempting the 30th floor.]

The moment Suho chose anonymity, the Tower of Trials, as previously notified, began broadcasting his challenge news to the outside.

Everyone who saw it stopped what they were doing and began to stir.

“The 30th floor?”

“Is someone trying to break the record?”

“Who is it this time?”

Attempts at the tower’s highest record were always a hot topic among those climbing the Tower of Trials.

And quite a few people had surprisingly managed to reach the 30th floor.

After all, the monsters on the 29th floor were only level 29, and the average level of the party members reaching that point was usually around 25.

Even so, the 30th floor remained an unbreachable fortress until now.

For one reason alone.

The 30th floor was the first in the Tower of Trials to feature a “golem.”

“Who’s going to get destroyed this time?”

“But why did they go anonymous?”

“Maybe they’re attempting it, expecting to fail.”

“Is it an internal test by a guild?”

“Possibly.”

“Still, going public would be better for boosting one’s value.”

That was true.

In the Hunter industry, proving one’s skills meant a higher value.

In that regard, the Tower of Trials was quite a decent way to showcase one’s strength.

As everyone was buzzing about the identity of the challenger, only one person stared at the tower’s notification in disbelief, wearing an expression of disbelief.

It was Cho Jin-hwi.

Having finished writing his article, Cho Jin-hwi had come to Pangyo, half expecting this.

And to his surprise, something extraordinary was indeed happening at the Tower of Trials.

‘Ahn Suho… could it really be you?’

Ahn Suho, the sole conqueror of the Unpredicted Gate at Sindorim Station, top scorer in the Hunter Exam, and now the hottest topic in the industry.

Yet something felt off.

He had said he wanted fame, so why was he climbing the tower anonymously?

‘Could it be… because of me?’

If that were the reason, then he thought Suho was truly insane.

And if the anonymous player the tower mentioned really was Ahn Suho…

Gulp.

Cho Jin-hwi swallowed hard.

‘You’re in for a lifetime commitment with me.’

At the same time, Cho Jin-hwi’s eyes sparkled, and he grinned.

Then, at that moment—

[The 30th floor has been conquered.]

[The highest record in the Tower of Trials has been broken.]

The new notification from the tower.

Everyone around, including Cho Jin-hwi, stared in disbelief, their eyes widening like full moons.

How long had it even been since he cleared the 29th floor, and now he’d already cleared the 30th?

There was no mistake.

It was real.

The tower and system were clearly announcing the conquest of the 30th floor.

But the most astonishing fact was…

[The challenger is Player Ahn Suho.]

[Player Ahn Suho has begun the challenge on the 31st floor.]

“…!”

Cho Jin-hwi’s eyes looked as though they might pop out as he read the notification from the tower.

***

[The 31st floor has been conquered.]

[The highest record in the Tower of Trials has been broken.]

[The challenger is Player Ahn Suho.]

[Player Ahn Suho has begun the challenge on the 32nd floor.]

[The 32nd floor has been conquered.]

[The highest record in the Tower of Trials has been broken.]

[The challenger is Player Ahn Suho.]

[Player Ahn Suho has begun the challenge on the 33rd floor.]

[The 33rd floor has been conquered.]

[The highest record in the Tower of Trials has been broken.]

[The challenger is Player Ahn Suho.]

[Player Ahn Suho has begun the challenge on the 34th floor.]

…

The moment he set the new record on the 30th floor, Suho publicly announced his name as planned.

The outside world erupted, and with each floor Suho ascended, the world grew louder than ever.

Kim Suae was especially shocked.

“Wh-What? Hunter Ahn Suho is setting a new live record in the Tower of Trials?”

“Yes, Headmaster! If you check the article, you’ll see he’s still challenging in real time…”

Nexus Guild Headquarters.

To secure Ahn Suho, Kim Suae had gone to the main headquarters, convening an emergency meeting with the Guildmaster and Deputy Guildmaster.

She was actively negotiating recruitment terms for Hunter Ahn Suho when an unexpected update forced her to scrap everything.

The news was already broadcasting the live status of the Tower of Trials.

Just then, the Nexus Guildmaster, his eyes as wide as Kim Suae’s, quietly removed his glasses and said,

“We… may need to call a number far beyond what we imagined.”

The other executives in the room all nodded quietly.